Homebrew Cravings: Creamy Cream Stout

If I had to describe my beer self, I would say a hop head with a twist of yeast. But something about this winter has made me want a rich, creamy, milk stout. My favorite: Bell’s Double Cream Stout.

But it's a little too late in the season to get my hands on one of those...

How do I handle this craving? Much like I handle my cravings for chocolate chip cookies. I decided to brew my own. An unseasonably warm February Saturday, meant a double brew day at the Helle house with my one-gallon batch of creamy cream stout plus Mike’s five-gallon “Pliney the Toddler.”

Simple is my motto on brew day. It’s allows more time for drinking homebrew while homebrewing.

B’s Creamy Cream Stout

1 lbs 7.4 oz Munich

3.8 oz Roasted Barley

2.8 oz Barley, Flaked

0.31 oz Nugget @ 60 minutes

½ package Safale US-05

I heated 5 quarts of Arlington’s best water on my stovetop to 160 degrees and mashed in at 150 degrees for 75 minutes. The result, a rich creamy wort.

I added the Nugget hops and boiled for 60 minutes. After a quick transfer to primary, I took my initial gravity reading of 1.054. Here's my creamy beauty ready to ferment for the next couple of weeks.

Please note the awesome bottle of Zin in the background. Seriously, why did we not finish that last gulp in the bottom of the bottle? I'm disappointed in myself.